Franco di Santo
Encyclopedia
Franco Matías di Santo is an Argentine
footballer who plays as a striker for Wigan Athletic
.
. On 25 January 2008, Di Santo transferred to Chelsea
.
and scored his second goal in as many appearances, against Reading reserves
on 3 March. On 14 April, he scored his first hat-trick
for Chelsea's reserve team against Tottenham Reserves
; the most spectacular of the three goals being a volley from a Branislav Ivanović
cross that found the top right corner. In the last reserve match of the season, Di Santo scored his seventh goal in eight reserve games against Aston Villa
. He finished the 2007–08 reserve season with 12 reserve goals in 8 games, during his time at the west London side he was the tallest player ever to play outfield for chelsea.
. Ahead of their first game on tour, he was handed the number 36 jersey and came off the bench in that game against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical, to score the third goal during a 4–0 victory. He scored his second goal of the pre-season campaign in the 65th minute against the Chengdu Blades
in a 7–0 victory after he had replaced Nicolas Anelka
five minutes before.
On 31 August, di Santo made his full first-team debut in the 1–1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur
, coming on in place of Nicolas Anelka
in the 88th minute of the game. He made his second first-team appearance in a League Cup
match against Portsmouth
on 24 September coming on for Didier Drogba
in the 79th minute. His UEFA Champions League
debut came against CFR Cluj
, he replaced Florent Malouda
in the 70th minute. The game ended 0–0. On 3 January 2009, Di Santo made his FA Cup
debut, coming on as a substitute against Southend United
in a 1–1 draw at Stamford Bridge
.
Di Santo came on as a substitute for Florent Malouda
, against Stoke City F.C.
assisting on a goal in the 88th minute for Juliano Belletti
making the scorelines 1–1. Teammate Frank Lampard
then went on to score a 94th minute winner with Chelsea claming a dramatic 2–1 win.
Di Santo was named as a substitute 8 times during Chelsea's 08/09 Premier League campaign and was linked with a loan move to Blackburn
.
Di Santo scored his first goal of the 2009 pre-season against Club America
; he also provided an assist to teammate Florent Malouda
a minute later. Chelsea won the game 2–0 to win the World Football Challenge
.
on loan until February 2010, with the option of extending the loan by six-months to June 2010. On 5 August 2009, Di Santo had his debut for Rovers at Ewood Park
vs Hibernian
. After recovering from injury, he started in the 2–1 Blackburn win over Aston Villa. Di Santo impressed as he provided an assist for David Dunn and almost got himself on the scoresheet on a few occasions. His impressive performance earned praise from manager Sam Allardyce
. Di Santo started and scored his first goal against Burnley
at Ewood Park
on 18 October 2009 while also notching up another assist for David Dunn
with a clever flick. As a result of his good performances, Rovers extended his loan deal by a further six months until June 2010. However, after his extended loan, Di Santo saw less time on the pitch due to his poor goals to games ratio and was often used more as a late substitute. He was not selected for Rovers final squad of the 2009-10 season against Aston Villa
, a game which Rovers went on to win 1-0.
. On 23 April 2011, he scored his first goal for Wigan in the 93rd minute against Sunderland, his first goal since 18 October 2009.
On the opening day of the the following Premier League Season
, Di Santo won a penalty which teammate Ben Watson converted into a goal in the 1-1 draw against Norwich City F.C.. On 27th August, 2011, the third game of the season, he scored two deflected goals in a 2-0 win against Queens Park Rangers F.C. and left to a standing ovation from the home crowd when substituted. A week later, he scored again at Goodison Park
against Everton, It was a deflected effort to take the lead, but eventually Wigan lost 3-1. His fourth goal of the season was an injury-time winner against Sunderland on 26 November to give Wigan a vital 2-1 win after coming off the bench in the 84th minute.
team in 2006 and scored his first goal in a game against the French
under-20s. He was part of the under-20 squad that participated in the 2007 South American Youth Championship
in Paraguay
. Brazil
went on to win the tournament having a two point advantage over Argentina.
He was also called up to the 2009 South American Youth Championship in Venezuela, but wasn't allowed to take part due to Chelsea's injury crises. From 2006 to 2009 Di Santo got 25 U-20 caps and five goals.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
footballer who plays as a striker for Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
.
Audax Italiano
Di Santo began his club career in the Chilean team Audax Italiano. In the 2006–07 season he scored 26 goals in 76 matches, including one goal in six matches in the Copa Libertadores. Then, in 2007 he scored 12 in 17 matches for the club, including one goal in four matches in the Copa SudamericanaCopa Sudamericana
The Copa Bridgestone Sudamericana de Clubes , known simply as the Copa Sudamericana , is an annual international club football competition organized by the CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second most prestigious club competition in South American football. CONCACAF clubs were invited between 2004...
. On 25 January 2008, Di Santo transferred to Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
.
2007–08 season
Di Santo scored on his debut for Chelsea reserves on 11 February 2008, getting a late goal in a 2–2 draw with Fulham reservesFulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
and scored his second goal in as many appearances, against Reading reserves
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
on 3 March. On 14 April, he scored his first hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
for Chelsea's reserve team against Tottenham Reserves
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
; the most spectacular of the three goals being a volley from a Branislav Ivanović
Branislav Ivanovic
Branislav Ivanović is a Serbian footballer who plays for Chelsea in the Premier League and the Serbia national team....
cross that found the top right corner. In the last reserve match of the season, Di Santo scored his seventh goal in eight reserve games against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. He finished the 2007–08 reserve season with 12 reserve goals in 8 games, during his time at the west London side he was the tallest player ever to play outfield for chelsea.
2008–09 season
Di Santo trained with the first team in 2008–09 pre-season and flew out with the squad on their tour of ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Ahead of their first game on tour, he was handed the number 36 jersey and came off the bench in that game against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical, to score the third goal during a 4–0 victory. He scored his second goal of the pre-season campaign in the 65th minute against the Chengdu Blades
Chengdu Blades
Chengdu Blades F.C. is a professional football club based in Chengdu, PR China who currently plays in the 42,000 seater Chengdu Sports Centre in the Chinese Super league...
in a 7–0 victory after he had replaced Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Anelka
Abdul-Salam Bilal on 14 March 1979) is a French international footballer, who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Chelsea. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team...
five minutes before.
On 31 August, di Santo made his full first-team debut in the 1–1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, coming on in place of Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Anelka
Abdul-Salam Bilal on 14 March 1979) is a French international footballer, who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Chelsea. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team...
in the 88th minute of the game. He made his second first-team appearance in a League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
match against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
on 24 September coming on for Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...
in the 79th minute. His UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
debut came against CFR Cluj
CFR Cluj
CFR Cluj is a Romanian professional football club from the city of Cluj-Napoca in Transylvania, Romania. The club had spent most of their existence in the lower divisions, except for a spell in Divizia A in the 1970s, until they received significant financial backing from Árpád Pászkány in 2002...
, he replaced Florent Malouda
Florent Malouda
Florent Johan Malouda is a French footballer who plays as a left winger for Chelsea and the French national team.-Châteauroux:A street footballer in his teen years, Malouda gradually developed into an interesting, new football talent, able to penetrate defenses with his technical skills and...
in the 70th minute. The game ended 0–0. On 3 January 2009, Di Santo made his FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
debut, coming on as a substitute against Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
in a 1–1 draw at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
.
Di Santo came on as a substitute for Florent Malouda
Florent Malouda
Florent Johan Malouda is a French footballer who plays as a left winger for Chelsea and the French national team.-Châteauroux:A street footballer in his teen years, Malouda gradually developed into an interesting, new football talent, able to penetrate defenses with his technical skills and...
, against Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
assisting on a goal in the 88th minute for Juliano Belletti
Juliano Belletti
Juliano Haus Belletti , is a former Brazilian footballer. He was awarded the Silver Ball by Placar for his consistently great performances for Atlético Mineiro during the 1999 Brazilian Série A...
making the scorelines 1–1. Teammate Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...
then went on to score a 94th minute winner with Chelsea claming a dramatic 2–1 win.
Di Santo was named as a substitute 8 times during Chelsea's 08/09 Premier League campaign and was linked with a loan move to Blackburn
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
.
Di Santo scored his first goal of the 2009 pre-season against Club America
Club América
Club América is a Mexican Professional football club based in Mexico City. It competes in the Primera División, the top professional league in the country. The team's nickname is Las Águilas ....
; he also provided an assist to teammate Florent Malouda
Florent Malouda
Florent Johan Malouda is a French footballer who plays as a left winger for Chelsea and the French national team.-Châteauroux:A street footballer in his teen years, Malouda gradually developed into an interesting, new football talent, able to penetrate defenses with his technical skills and...
a minute later. Chelsea won the game 2–0 to win the World Football Challenge
World Football Challenge
The 2009 World Football Challenge is the first World Football Challenge event, an exhibition international club football competition featuring football clubs from Europe and North America, which has been held first in summer of 2009. Chelsea F.C...
.
Loan to Blackburn Rovers
On 3 August 2009, Di Santo joined Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
on loan until February 2010, with the option of extending the loan by six-months to June 2010. On 5 August 2009, Di Santo had his debut for Rovers at Ewood Park
Ewood Park
Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...
vs Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
. After recovering from injury, he started in the 2–1 Blackburn win over Aston Villa. Di Santo impressed as he provided an assist for David Dunn and almost got himself on the scoresheet on a few occasions. His impressive performance earned praise from manager Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce
Samuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United....
. Di Santo started and scored his first goal against Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
at Ewood Park
Ewood Park
Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...
on 18 October 2009 while also notching up another assist for David Dunn
David Dunn
David John Ian Dunn is an English footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Blackburn Rovers.-Blackburn Rovers:...
with a clever flick. As a result of his good performances, Rovers extended his loan deal by a further six months until June 2010. However, after his extended loan, Di Santo saw less time on the pitch due to his poor goals to games ratio and was often used more as a late substitute. He was not selected for Rovers final squad of the 2009-10 season against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
, a game which Rovers went on to win 1-0.
Wigan Athletic
On 31 August 2010, Di Santo signed a three-year contract with Wigan Athletic for a transfer fee of £2 million. He made his debut on 11 September, appearing as a substitute in a 1–1 draw against Sunderland, and made his first start for the club in the following game against Manchester CityManchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
. On 23 April 2011, he scored his first goal for Wigan in the 93rd minute against Sunderland, his first goal since 18 October 2009.
On the opening day of the the following Premier League Season
2011–12 Premier League
The 2011–12 Premier League is the twentieth season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2011–12 fixtures were announced on 17 June 2011 at 9:00 BST. The season began on 13 August 2011 and is due to end on 13 May 2012...
, Di Santo won a penalty which teammate Ben Watson converted into a goal in the 1-1 draw against Norwich City F.C.. On 27th August, 2011, the third game of the season, he scored two deflected goals in a 2-0 win against Queens Park Rangers F.C. and left to a standing ovation from the home crowd when substituted. A week later, he scored again at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
against Everton, It was a deflected effort to take the lead, but eventually Wigan lost 3-1. His fourth goal of the season was an injury-time winner against Sunderland on 26 November to give Wigan a vital 2-1 win after coming off the bench in the 84th minute.
Club career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe UEFA The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer.... |
Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Chelsea Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four... |
2008–09 Premier League 2008–09 The 2008–09 Premier League season was the seventeenth since its establishment in 1992. Manchester United became champions for the eleventh time on the penultimate weekend of the season, defending their crown after winning their tenth Premier League title on the final day of the previous season... |
8 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 1 |
| Blackburn Blackburn Rovers F.C. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.... |
2009–10 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 1 |
| Wigan Wigan Athletic F.C. Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW... |
2010–11 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 3 |
| Wigan Wigan Athletic F.C. Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW... |
2011–12 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 1 |
| Total | 66 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 6 | 6 | |
International career
Di Santo made his debut for the Argentina under-20Argentina national under-20 football team
The Argentina national under-20 football team is the representative of Argentina in FIFA sponsored tournaments that pertain to that age level....
team in 2006 and scored his first goal in a game against the French
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
under-20s. He was part of the under-20 squad that participated in the 2007 South American Youth Championship
2007 South American Youth Championship
The 2007 South American Youth Championship is a football competition contested by all ten U-20 national football teams of CONMEBOL. The tournament was held in Paraguay between January 7 and January 28, 2007, it was the 23rd time the competition has been held and the 4th to take place in Paraguay...
in Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
went on to win the tournament having a two point advantage over Argentina.
He was also called up to the 2009 South American Youth Championship in Venezuela, but wasn't allowed to take part due to Chelsea's injury crises. From 2006 to 2009 Di Santo got 25 U-20 caps and five goals.
Honours
Chelsea F.C.Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
: 20092009 FA Cup FinalThe 2009 FA Cup Final was the 128th final of the world's oldest domestic football cup competition, the FA Cup. The final was played at Wembley Stadium in London on 30 May 2009 and marked the third time that the final has been staged at the stadium since it was rebuilt... - World Football ChallengeWorld Football ChallengeThe 2009 World Football Challenge is the first World Football Challenge event, an exhibition international club football competition featuring football clubs from Europe and North America, which has been held first in summer of 2009. Chelsea F.C...
: 2009World Football ChallengeThe 2009 World Football Challenge is the first World Football Challenge event, an exhibition international club football competition featuring football clubs from Europe and North America, which has been held first in summer of 2009. Chelsea F.C...